Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-12
NORTHERN MEN IN THE SOUTH,

Anecdotes of Premise, Austin end Other
Noted New Englanders Who Went
South.
Globe Democrat: The notices OF the
sudden death Of Judge Ellet, after hay
ing made the speech Of welcome at the
Cleveland reception in Memphis, recall
a very singular fact. 1t is that many
OF those who have been regarded as the
most typical Southerners were men of
Northern birth. Ellet was a Northern
man Of great ability, and even in his
youth a man remarked among such in
tellectual giants as Prentiss and Quit
man, also men Of northern birth.
Curious anecdotes are told of Prem
tiss. A native OF New England, he
migrated to the west early in life.
Coming down the Ohio river, he deter
mined to locate at Cincinnati, but was
SO disguised at the amount of apples
given him for twenty-five cents that he
returned to the boat and went down
the river to VicksburS. Prentiss
was q great hand to spree. Dur
ing onel OF these drinking bouts in
New Orleans he threw eleven cham
pagne bottles. one after another through
u hole made in the wall for stove-
pipe. He then told his negro boy who
was attending upon him to get upon
the table and set the ~punch-bowl on
his head, and il he failed to knock it
of with an empty bottle he would deed
him his freedom. The negro boy de-
clined upon the ground hat he was
afraid Prentiss might miss the bowl
and strike his head-the very thing
| that would set him free. This was al
ways IA favorite anecdote with Prentiss,
illustrating to his mind that the negro
was hardly capable of freedom.
In Arkansas, Albert Pike and &. w.
Adams were northern men, but were
considered typical sontherners. The
Goldwaite family, originally from New
England, but settling in South Carroll
ma, has furnished the bar and bench of
| Alabama aud Texas with some of its
most typical men. Daniel Webster
once remarked that he did not see why
southern men disliked him, as he had
all their vices. The Goldwaite family
were very Websterian IN this regard.
Siiddell, who, as senator from Louisia-
na, at the Charleston convention, was
so active in laying predicates for the
dissolution of the union, and who was
afterwards noted rs one Of the COM
missioners TO England, WAS a northern
man.
Austin, the first ~colonist OF Texas,
was a northern man. The brilliant and
polished minister OF 1he young repub-
lie TO the court OF St. James, DIR. &.
Ashbel Smith, was II New Highlander.
He was a wonderfully erudite man and
"a person of singular courage. During
the administration of Gov. Roberts,
when the cash balance and pay.as-you-
20 policy Of the executive were the
cynosures, DR.. Smith was "A member
of the senate. One day while he was
writing at bis desk he was disturbed by
the apparition of a. big black spider.
which considerably startled him, until
he discovered that it was being dan
gled by a waggish member sitting by
his side, who ut once got up and fled
down the aisle. DR.. Smith pursued
him, and, after planting several vigor-
Gus kicks in his rear, returned, and
with the grace and poise that always
characterized him, said: II beg par
don, Mr.. President; / was but exempli-
flying the policy of pay as you 60"
Going south from Denison on the
Central railway the names of the towns
all along to Houston will be found 20
be generally those borne by distin-
guished citizens of Texas, born in the
north, but domiciled in the south long
prior to the war. And every where in
the south it IS apparent that there is no
more typical southern man than the ac-
climated New Highlander.